REVIEW: Radical Harmony - Helene Kröller-Müller's Neo-Impressionists

We love the new-look National Gallery. There is so much to explore and enjoy in the brilliantly revamped permanent collection, you don’t need an excuse to make a family trip to Trafalgar Square. That said, U18s have free entry to ticketed shows here, so if you need an added incentive, Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller’s Neo-Impressionists might provide it. It is a bit of a mouthful of a title for a private collection. Neo-impressionism = pointillism, or dotty paintings to most of us.

From the nineteenth century colour wheel as you come in, showing how opposing colours on a wheel seem more vivid when juxtaposed, this is show that is all about colour and light.

Landscapes, water, portraits, politics – kids who enjoy mucking about with paint will be enjoy peering up close to see how it is done. And they will be learning from masters. Seurat, Pissarro, Signac are all here, plus some less well-known names who make beautiful, curiously modern, dotty masterpieces.

The show is in the basement of the Sainsbury Wing, so make sure you stop off at Bar Giorgio on your way out. The chocolate maritozzi buns are dangerously addictive!

Radical Harmony: Helen Kröller-Müller’s Neo-Impressionists National Gallery to 8 February, 2026. Tickets: £25 adults, U18s free.